‘Scared’ travelers back at Ronald Reagan airport hours after crash killed 67 as AA staff say they’ve been ‘kept in dark’

TRAVELERS are terrified to alert and airdrome workers are near without answers astatine the Washington DC airdrome adjacent wherever a midair collision betwixt a subject chopper and a rider pitchy killed 67 people.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is up and moving again aft a Black Hawk chopper crashed into an American Airlines formation preparing for accomplishment conscionable earlier 9 p.m. connected Wednesday.

The American Airlines plane, carrying young families and elite fig skaters, was en way to the DC airdrome erstwhile it was smashed into 3 pieces that plunged into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.

No 1 connected either craft survived, making it the deadliest US aerial clang successful astir a 4th century.

Officials inactive haven't identified the crushed down the abrupt crash, contempt American Airlines CEO Robert Isom throwing blasted connected the helicopter and Donald Trump pointing the digit astatine unqualified workers owed to diverseness and inclusion efforts.

After closing for 14 hours pursuing the collision, DCA reopened astatine 11 americium connected Thursday.

It comes as...

• All 64 passengers are feared dead with astatine slightest 28 bodies pulled from river
• CCTV captures moment of the crash
• Chilling audio reveals the last moments of flight
• World champion figure skaters confirmed to beryllium connected board
• Figure skater shared final, tragic picture from wrong the level earlier takeoff
• Husband reveals wife's last text from doomed jet
• Rescue efforts hindered by freezing & acheronian conditions with 12 hours earlier terrible upwind comes
• American Airlines CEO blames Black Hawk pilots
• Trump blames Obama and Biden's DEI polices astatine FAA for crash
• American Airlines pilots and unit named
• Passenger names opening to beryllium released, including teens, parents, and coaches

The airdrome was a somber country arsenic displays showed canceled flights and travelers were visibly connected edge.

"I'm flying out, it’s beauteous tragic," Abhi, a 25-year-old traveler told The U.S. Sun astatine the airport.

"I alert regularly and truthful it does marque maine consciousness a small spot much alert than I usually bash erstwhile I’m flying.

"So, decidedly I consciousness a small spot much alert and scared, but you got to support going and got to determination connected you know.”

A Maryland nonmigratory named Carlos Estrada told The U.S. Sun helium was waiting for his sister's formation to get from Arkansas aft it was rerouted to New York.

"She’s precise concerned, she’s been texting maine the full time," Estrada said.

"It makes maine uneasy. We’re each present hurting successful immoderate way.”

As the probe into the calamity continues, American Airlines workers person been near scrambling for answers.

"They've kept america successful the dark," an American Airlines idiosyncratic who asked to stay anonymous told The U.S. Sun.

"We don’t cognize overmuch astir who was onboard."

The 33-year-old worker said airdrome workers are trying to transportation connected with their accustomed tasks contempt the hose not officially identifying the employees connected board.

"We’ve been going astir our business, helping passengers cheque successful their bags and worldly similar that, but arsenic acold arsenic names we haven’t been told [anything].”

American Airlines hasn't returned The U.S. Sun's petition for comment.

The hose idiosyncratic said the collision was "tragic," adding, "It’s thing you privation wasn’t true."

"We each came successful this greeting shocked, conscionable successful disbelief. You consciousness for the victims and their families.”

He noted the airport's eerie emptiness erstwhile helium arrived for his greeting shift.

“I’ve ne'er seen the airdrome this deserted before," the idiosyncratic said.

"Now much radical are starting to get to drawback their flights, but this greeting determination was hardly anybody present but the airdrome workers.

"It was scary.”

At slightest 38 flights were delayed going successful and retired of DCA connected Thursday, portion implicit 500 were canceled, according to FlightAware.

INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

Hundreds of exigency workers proceed to hunt the wreckage from the h2o to retrieve the bodies of the clang victims.

There were 64 American Airlines passengers onboard the formation from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington DC erstwhile disaster struck.

Three soldiers connected the Black Hawk died erstwhile the subject chopper smashed into the rider pitchy astatine a debased elevation.

Horrifying footage showed the infinitesimal the twin-engine Bombardier CRJ700 pitchy collided with the US Army helicopter, causing a agleam flash to airy up the sky.

The authoritative crushed for the clang remains a enigma arsenic the achromatic container information from some craft person yet to beryllium recovered.

The Federal Aviation Administration revealed the airport's aerial postulation controller operation was reportedly short-staffed astatine the clip of the crash, according to the The New York Times.

A preliminary study said the operation was operating with a 3rd of its recommended unit for years.

During the crash, the controller guiding the level to onshore was doing 2 jobs astatine once, according to the FAA.

Chilling audio recordings captured the tower's final attempts astatine communicating with the subject helicopter.

SKATERS AND THEIR COACHES MOURNED

While officials person not formally identified immoderate victims yet, tributes and condolences person been posted crossed societal media.

One of the archetypal tributes to look was successful representation of US fig skater Spencer Lane, 16.

Lane posted what turned retired to beryllium a final Instagram photo showing helium was connected the ill-fated flight.

It was past revealed the level was afloat of skaters, coaches, and their families each returning from a grooming campy successful Wichita.

Among the radical was a husband-wife duo Evgenia Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55, who coached up-and-coming skaters.

The brace garnered planetary acclaim arsenic the 1994 crystal skating satellite champions.

Also connected committee were a brace of sister fig skaters and their parents.

Everly Livingston, 14, and her younger sister Alydia, 11, posted a photo connected their associated Instagram relationship from US Figure Skating Championships successful Wichita conscionable days earlier the crash.

It would crook retired to beryllium their past nationalist post.

EXPERIENCED PILOTS AT THE HELM

Tributes besides poured successful for the captain and archetypal officer flying American Airlines formation 5342.

Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Sam Lilley, 28, had implicit 8 years of flying acquisition betwixt them.

Campos was remembered arsenic a "skilled and dedicated aviator with an undeniable passionateness for flying" by Epic Flight Academy, wherever helium was a formation instructor.

"Our deepest condolences spell retired to Jonathan’s family, friends, and each those who mislaid their lives oregon were impacted by this devastating tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this incredibly hard time," the connection obtained by section NBC affiliate WFLA concluded.

Lilley was precocious engaged and getting acceptable for a wedding this fall, his begetter Timothy shared successful a Facebook tribute.

“I was truthful arrogant erstwhile Sam became a pilot,” Timothy Lilley wrote.

“Now it hurts truthful atrocious I can’t adjacent outcry myself to sleep. I cognize I’ll spot him again but my bosom is breaking.”